The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1887-11-20
MIDNIGHT ADVENTURE


ing clerk in an English merchants
Office. Ny work was heavy. Many
nights I sat at my books until into the
small hours of the morning. Once or
twice actually dozed off into sleep
to be awakened by the woman who
cleaned the various rooms coming to
her work.
The house I was connected with had
branch establishment in India, doing
q large business, and many curious
consignments of goods, quite outside of
our usual articles of commerce, passed
through our hands. Priceless cloths
and fabrics, brass and gold ornaments
set with precious stones, collections of
stones, botanical specimens, birds. ami
mals-everythin in fact, until at times
the contents of the cases, if opened and
spread out, would have made very
| average museum.
One afternoon large box was deliv-
cred from one OF the ships, labeled To
| be Kept ID Moderately Warm Place"
| | was away from the warehouse at the
time of its arrival, and the men placed
1t in the outer office. On my return l
| casually noticed the case in passing
and saw that one end was slightly
crushed, as if by some other heavier
case falling on it. This was mere accl
dental observance.
Ny private Office was just four walls,
| hung with maps and charts. A writing
| bur, au in the centre of the floor behind
the door; behind the bureau large
| fn DIV faa hirxf,
and four feet square, standing twelve
or fourteen inches from the wall, and
case of books and three or four chairs
completed the inventory. was going
| to work late, and in short time was
alone in the large building.
l worked steadily until midnight.
arose and paced about the room for
| few minutes.
A sound, as of chair being moved in
\ the adjoining room, startled me.
stepped to the door and opened it.
The light from street lamp lit the
room fairly well, and, after glance, l
concluded it must have been fancy
and returned to my desk, leaving the
door open.
| A few minutes afterWard q faint
harsh sound came from the same direc-
| tion-a curious, rubbing sound, un-
deniably within the next room, and
quite as undeniably moving toward
the door leading to where l was sit
ting.
rose to my feet, and as 1 did SO the
head and neck of a huge snake pro-
truded through the doorway into the
well-lit room.
stood transfxed with horror.
When the reptile saw me it stopped
for second, its eyes grew more and
more atame until they resemb!ed two
lutid balls of fire, its tongue darted in
and out of its mouth, and the head
raised higher and higher until nearly
| level with my own. 1 could hear its
body recoihng and recoiling in fury
II the darkness beyond, and there 1
stood powerless, unaImed, and aPpar-
emily unable even to move.
| looked once around in despairing
search for some outlet OF escape, and
as took my eyes from those of the
horrible reptile it lowered its head and
darted toward me. Another second and
the open safe, rushed in and shut the
door. A small petty cash book tell 10
the floor, half in, half out of the safe,
holding the door open about half an
inch.
But for the book would have speed
lily been suffocated. Not thinking of
that stopped and tried to draw the
book inside, but the snake, moving
simultaneously with myself, had dashed
itself against the safe, and in its brute
fury, thinking the safe part and parcel |
of myself, had thrown its coils around |
1t, COMPRISING the door so tightly that |
| fortunately could not remsYe the |
book, which was my sole means of |
ventilation. Half craZed with fright l |
pulled and lugged at it without avail.
The perspiration rolled down my face,
my heart beat almost to bursting, and
even with the book holding the door
ajar | seemed to be at the point of suf
location. Grasping for a breath and
utterly nerveless, l fell against the
door and slid to the floor in a dead
faint
How long / remained so | cannot
a few minutes, perhaps
an hour. At last my senses returned.
and although dreaGfuIly cramped by
the position into which had subsidized
IN the narrow space, felt had not
the power to rise, anu lay there gazing
through the narrow opening at the two
folds which encircled my refuge, feeling
q horrible fascination that l shall never
forget. l even passed my finger o.
anu tOuCnou one, iecll6g Qulv6ring
movement that told me the reptile had
Drawn its coils to their utmost tension. 7
N the hope Of crushing the shell that
leld the precious kernel OF myself. !
By an effort collected my ideas.
Ind, remembering she box and the
rushed end, could readily account for 7
he preseDce Of the intruder. knew
hat it was customary to feed them to I
atiety before shipping, send them off,
md, as y rule, they arrived here still ),
n the state of stupor. This one might
AVE had a long passage, and, coming A
ut of the sleep, w&nted water, grew
urious, burst the weak end of the case.
nd, finding nue.. attacked me by in I
tinct.
grew calmer and investigated my Z
osition thoroughly rose to my feet,
nd as did so my foot rested upon o.
uneven. picked il up and
)und il to be one Of those long ink o.
rasers, having a blade about four
lches long, sharp as razor, tempered n,
Ike Ii Damascus blade, the handle being -
bout FIVE inches long and fat in shape. BI
Ct au OF - fHo4